Refrigerator

ABSTRACT

In a refrigerator, rail devices are connected below the center of a pull-out door in a vertical direction, and connected to two ends thereof in a horizontal direction, and rail holding members are arranged on an inner casing in a heat-insulating material so as to hold both the right and left ends of the bottom of a container.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to refrigerators, and particularly relatesto a refrigerator having a pull-out structure for a storage compartmentof a pull-out type.

BACKGROUND ART

Conventionally, a storage compartment of a pull-out type is oftenprovided at a lower part of a refrigerator in consideration ofusability, so that items can be stored even in the back without wastingspace. There is a demand for such a pull-out storage compartment toallow, for instance, the storage compartment to be smoothly pulled outand pushed back, food to be easily put in and out of the storagecompartment, and a container provided inside the storage compartment tobe easily attached and detached.

Now, techniques for improving usability of such a pull-out storagecompartment have been disclosed (for example, see Patent Literature(PTL) 1 or 2).

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a side cross section of a conventionalrefrigerator 100.

The conventional refrigerator 100 illustrated in FIG. 16 includes arefrigerator compartment 102, a switchable compartment 106 in which atemperature can be changed, an ice compartment provided next to theswitchable compartment 106 (not shown), a vegetable compartment 103, anda freezer compartment 104, as storage compartments in a main body 101.

The main body 101 is formed using an outer casing 112, an inner casing110, and a heat-insulating material 111 filled between the outer casing112 and the inner casing 110.

A container 206 which is a component of the vegetable compartment 103 issupported by two rail devices 202 connected to a pull-out door 201 ofthe vegetable compartment 103.

Also, a container which is a component of the freezer compartment 104 issupported by two rail devices 202 connected to a pull-out door 201 ofthe freezer compartment 104.

The vegetable compartment 103 and the freezer compartment 104 both havesuch a configuration, which allows the compartments 103 and 104 to bepull-out storage compartments which can be pushed into and pulled out ofthe main body 101.

Here, a description is given of the pull-out doors 201 for closing openfront faces of the conventional refrigerator.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view illustrating a pull-out door from theback.

As illustrated in FIG. 17, door frames 205 are attached to the pull-outdoor 201 in a manner such that the door frames 205 are projecting fromand perpendicular to the pull-out door 201. The door frames 205 areattached to the pull-out door 201, and the rail devices 202 (not shown)provided with a movable rail and a fixed rail are slidably engaged withthe door frames 205, which enables the pull-out door 201 to behorizontally pulled out and pushed back while maintaining its verticallyupright state.

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a relationship between apull-out door and a container from the back of a refrigerator.

As illustrated in FIG. 18, the container 206 is provided between the tworail devices 202, and supported by the two rail devices 202 at asubstantially middle position in the height direction of the container206.

CITATION LIST Patent Literature

-   [PTL 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No.    2006-177653-   [PTL 2] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No.    2006-214642

SUMMARY OF INVENTION Technical Problem

A trend of a refrigerator in recent years shows an increase in its innercapacity for actually storing items by changing arrangement of thecomponents of the refrigerator, for instance.

The container provided in a conventional pull-out storage compartment ismerely placed on the rail devices. If the inner capacity of thecontainer increases in such a state, the amount of items stored in thecontainer increases, which also increases load exerted on the raildevices. If the pull-out door is open in this state, a still greaterload is exerted on the rail devices, and in particular, a stress appliedon the ends of the rail devices increases at which the rail devices areattached to the pull-out door.

An increase in the load exerted on the rail devices may deform the raildevices and cause the rail devices to incline inward. Such a stateprevents the pull-out door from smoothly moving forward and backward.

This is because when the pull-out door is open to the maximum, only therail devices 202 support the container 206 which moves in conjunctionwith the opening movement of the pull-out door. Furthermore, thepull-out door having a foam heat insulation inside is at the end of therail devices 202, and thus in addition to the load of the container 206,the load of the pull-out door 201 is exerted at the end of the raildevices 202. Also, there is a case in which a vacuum heat-insulatingmaterial is provided inside the pull-out door 201 for the purpose ofenergy saving, which further increases the load on the rail devices 202.Accordingly, the rail devices 202 are deformed by repetitions of themovement for opening and closing the pull-out door 201 for a long periodof time. Due to this, even if the pull-out door 201 is brought intocontact with the opening of the vegetable compartment 103 or the freezercompartment 104, the opening cannot be completely closed or sealed by asealing part (not shown) of the pull-out door 201, since the pull-outdoor 201 is slant relative to the opening. As a result, there is apossibility that the cold air inside the compartment leaks, whichprevents the compartment from being cooled to a predeterminedtemperature.

The present invention is conceived in order to solve the aboveconventional problems, and an object thereof is to provide arefrigerator which includes a pull-out storage compartment, and candistribute, in particular, a load exerted on the rail devices whilesecuring a large actual storage capacity of the pull-out storagecompartment, reduces slant of the pull-out door due to deformation ofthe rail devices, and reduces the tilt of the door, thereby securingcooling capability. Furthermore, an object thereof is to provide arefrigerator which avoids a gap being formed at a sealing part due to atilt of the door, thereby securing cooling capability.

Solution to Problem

In order to solve the above conventional problems, a refrigeratoraccording to the present invention includes: a main body including aninner casing, an outer casing, and a heat-insulating material filledbetween the inner casing and the outer casing; a storage compartment ofa pull-out type formed inside the main body and having an open frontface; a pull-out door which opens and closes the open front face of thestorage compartment; a partition which makes a separation for thestorage compartment of the main body; and rail devices each of which hasa fixed rail and a movable rail, is fixed to a wall of the inner casingwith the fixed rail and the movable rail previously put together,connects the pull-out door to the main body in an extendable andshortenable manner, and allows a container provided inside the storagecompartment to move forward and backward, wherein the rail devices areconnected below a center of the pull-out door in a vertical directionand connected to both ends thereof in a horizontal direction, andattached to rail holding members so as to hold both the right and leftends near the bottom of the container, and the rail holding members arearranged on the inner casing in the heat-insulating material.

With this, the rail devices are attached at both the right and left endsof the bottom of the container, and thus it is possible to avoidprojections and recessions being formed in the face of the container inthe space from the open top face to the lower bottom of the container,and form the face of the container as a flat face, which achieves anincrease in the size and capacity of the container. Furthermore, usingthe rail holding members, it is possible to prevent an inwardinclination of the rail devices on which a force causing an inclinationtoward the inside of the compartment tends to be applied due to anincrease in the load on the rail devices caused by an increase in theload from items stored in the container. In addition, the rail devicesare attached at both the right and left ends of the bottom of thecontainer, and thus it is possible to increase the size and capacity ofthe container supported by the rail devices. Furthermore, it is possibleto reduce the slant of the pull-out door due to deformation of the raildevices, keep the movement for opening and closing forward and backwardsmooth, and secure cooling capability.

A refrigerator according to the present invention includes: a main bodyincluding an inner casing, an outer casing, and a heat-insulatingmaterial filled between the inner casing and the outer casing; a storagecompartment of a pull-out type formed inside the main body and having anopen front face; a pull-out door which opens and closes the open frontface of the storage compartment; a partition which makes a separationfor the storage compartment of the main body; a rail device which has afixed rail and a movable rail, is fixed to a wall of the inner casingwith the fixed rail and the movable rail previously put together,connects the pull-out door and the main body in an extendable andshortenable manner, and allows a container provided inside the storagecompartment to move forward and backward; a door frame fixed to thepull-out door and connected to the rail device to hold the container;and a reinforcing plate which fixes the door frame to the pull-out door,wherein the reinforcing plate vertically extends along the pull-out doorand is formed as a single member, the door frame is fixed at a lowerpart of the reinforcing plate, and the container is engaged at an upperpart of the reinforcing plate.

This secures the strength of the pull-out door, and prevents the shiftto the right and left. Consequently, it is possible to avoid a gap beingformed at the sealing part due to a tilt of the door, and secure acooling capability.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

A refrigerator of the present invention can reduce the tilt of the raildevice, and secure cooling capability and a large actual storagecapacity of a pull-out storage compartment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator according to Embodiment 1 ofthe present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a cross section taken along line A-A inFIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a rail device of therefrigerator according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a pull-out door and raildevices which are connected, and a removable container of therefrigerator according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an important part when thecontainer illustrated in FIG. 4 is fit in.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating, from the back side, astate where the container is provided between the rail devices of therefrigerator according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 7A is an enlarged view of an important part illustrating thearrangement of the rail device and the container of the refrigeratoraccording to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 7B is an enlarged view of an important part illustrating thearrangement of the rail device and the container of the refrigeratoraccording to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 7C is an enlarged view of an important part illustrating thearrangement of the rail device and the container of the refrigeratoraccording to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the containerin FIG. 4 is fit in.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an inner casing and the rail devicesaccording to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of portion A in FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of portion B in FIG. 9.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a rail holding member.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of door frames of the refrigeratoraccording to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of portion C in FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of portion D in FIG. 14.

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a conventionalrefrigerator.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view illustrating a conventional relationshipbetween a pull-out door and rails.

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a conventionalrelationship between a container and the rails.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a refrigeratorincludes: a main body including an inner casing, an outer casing, and aheat-insulating material filled between the inner casing and the outercasing; a storage compartment of a pull-out type formed inside the mainbody and having an open front face; a pull-out door which opens andcloses the open front face of the storage compartment; a partition whichmakes a separation for the storage compartment of the main body; andrail devices each of which has a fixed rail and a movable rail, is fixedto a wall of the inner casing with the fixed rail and the movable railpreviously put together, connects the pull-out door to the main body inan extendable and shortenable manner, and allows a container providedinside the storage compartment to move forward and backward, wherein therail devices are connected below a center portion of the pull-out doorin a vertical direction and connected to both ends in a horizontaldirection, and attached to rail holding members so as to hold both theright and left ends of the bottom of the container, and the rail holdingmembers are arranged on the inner casing in the heat-insulatingmaterial. Thus, it is possible to increase the size and capacity of thecontainer, secure a large actual storage space in the pull-out storagecompartment, and furthermore prevent the rail devices from inclininginward, and open and close the pull-out door smoothly.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the inventionaccording to the first aspect of the present invention, the rail holdingmembers each include an inward inclination prevention portion whichprevents a corresponding one of the rail devices from inclining inward.The inward inclination prevention portion is formed integrally with thelower part of the rail holding portion which fixes the rail device,thereby forming a portion in the rail holding member buried in theheat-insulating material at which the rail holding member is tightly fitin the heat-insulating material. Thus, the rail holding members are inclose contact with and firmly fixed to the heat-insulating material.Accordingly, even if a load on the rail devices increases, the strengthof the rail holding members can be secured, and the rail devices can beprevented from inclining toward the inside of the compartment.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first orsecond aspect of the present invention, the rail devices are eachdisposed at a gap portion provided in a side wall of the inner casingwhich forms an inner side wall face of the storage compartment, therebyreducing unusable space where the rail device is arranged, andincreasing the effective inner capacity of the storage compartment.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first orsecond aspect of the present invention, the rail devices are eachdisposed on a step portion provided on the bottom face of the innercasing which forms the bottom of the storage compartment, therebyimproving working efficiency when attaching the rail devices, andpreventing dew condensation water on the bottom of the storagecompartment from being in contact with the rail device. Thus, the dewcondensation water does not prevent smooth movement of the rail devices.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the first orsecond aspect of the present invention, the rail devices are eachdisposed on a step portion provided on a top face of the partition whichforms the bottom of the storage compartment, thereby improving workingefficiency when attaching the rail devices, and preventing dewcondensation water on the bottom of the storage compartment from beingin contact with the rail devices. Thus, the dew condensation water doesnot avoid smooth movement of the rail devices. Further, the wallthickness of the partition is large, and thus it is possible to avoiddew condensation occurring on the top face of the storage compartment atthe lower part.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in any of thefirst to third aspects of the present invention, a plurality of thepull-out doors are vertically arranged on the refrigerator, and an upperrail holding member and a lowermost rail holding member have differentcross sectional shapes, the upper rail holding member holding the raildevice which allows the pull-out door arranged at an upper position tobe pulled forward and pushed backward, and the lowermost rail holdingmember holding the rail device which allows the lowermost pull-out doorarranged at a lowermost position to be pulled forward and pushedbackward. Consequently, when a user opens and closes the pull-out door,the lowermost pull-out door is at a position at which the user easilyputs on his or her weight compared to the upper pull-out door, and thusthere is a possibility that an external load is also applied thereto inaddition to a load due to stored items. The lowermost rail holdingmember can firmly hold the rail device of the lowermost pull-out door,thereby preventing an inclination of the rail device.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the sixthaspect of the present invention, the lowermost rail holding member is asubstantially L-shaped member formed along a side wall and a bottom faceof the inner casing. Thus, the lowermost rail holding member can bereliably fixed to the rail device with a simple structure.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in any of thefirst to seventh aspects of the present invention, a hole is formed ineach of the rail holding members to allow the filled heat-insulatingmaterial to pass through. This avoids the rail holding members blockingthe flow of the heat-insulating material to be filled, and prevents ahollow portion from being formed due to insufficient filling of theheat-insulating material. Thus, the heat-insulating capability as arefrigerator can be improved, and the heat-insulating material issufficiently filled around the rail holding members. Consequently, it ispossible to secure tight fitting of the rail holding member in theheat-insulating material, and maintain the strength of the rail devices.

A ninth aspect of the present invention is a refrigerator whichincludes: a main body including an inner casing, an outer casing, and aheat-insulating material filled between the inner casing and the outercasing; a storage compartment of a pull-out type formed inside the mainbody and having an open front face; a pull-out door which opens andcloses the open front face of the storage compartment; a partition whichmakes a separation for the storage compartment of the main body; a raildevice which has a fixed rail and a movable rail, is fixed to a wall ofthe inner casing with the fixed rail and the movable rail previously puttogether, connects the pull-out door and the main body in an extendableand shortenable manner, and allows a container provided inside thestorage compartment to move forward and backward; a door frame fixed tothe pull-out door and connected to the rail device to hold thecontainer; and a reinforcing plate which fixes the door frame to thepull-out door, wherein the reinforcing plate vertically extends alongthe pull-out door and is formed as a single member, the door frame isfixed at a lower part of the reinforcing plate, and the container isengaged at an upper part of the reinforcing plate. Thus, the reinforcingplate is vertically disposed along the pull-out door in the uprightdirection, the strength of the pull-out door is secured with respect toan increase in the moment depending on the distance between verticalpositions of a handle part at which the pull-out door is pulled out byholding the upper part thereof and the door frame which holds thecontainer, and the shift to the right and left can be prevented. Thus,it is possible to avoid a gap being formed at the sealing part due tothe tilt of the pull-out door relative to the open front face, and tosecure a cooling capability.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the ninthaspect of the present invention, the rail devices are connected below acenter portion of the pull-out door in a vertical direction andconnected to both ends in a horizontal direction, and hold both theright and left ends of the bottom of the container, it is possible toavoid projections and recessions being formed in the wall surface of thecontainer in the vertical direction, and thus it is possible to preventunusable space from being made between stored items and the wall face ofthe container. Accordingly, the size and capacity of the container canbe increased, and a large actual storage space can be secured.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the ninthor tenth aspect of the present invention, the pull-out door includes: aninner door board; an outer door board; and a heat-insulating materialthat fills, by foaming, a space between the inner door board and theouter door board, and the reinforcing plate is provided in contact withthe inner door board in the space. Thus, a shift of the pull-out doorand the deformation of the door frame can be prevented.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the eleventhaspect of the present invention, the reinforcing plate includes areinforcing plate flange portion extending toward the outer door board.Accordingly, an area in which the reinforcing plate is tightly fit inthe heat-insulating material can be increased, and thus it is possibleto prevent an inclination of the door frame, and maintain the strengthof the reinforcing plate.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in thetwelfth aspect of the present invention, a hole is formed in thereinforcing plate flange portion to allow the heat-insulating materialto pass through. Thus, it is possible to prevent, around the reinforcingplate, formation of a hollow in which the heat-insulating material isnot filled, and smoothly fill the heat-insulating material.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in any of theninth to thirteenth aspects of the present invention, a bead is formedat a position corresponding to a part of the reinforcing plate to whichthe door frame is attached. Accordingly, even if a moment on the doorframe is large, the rigidity of the reinforcing plate itself can besecured, and the deformation thereof can be prevented.

The following is a description of embodiments of the present inventionwith reference to the drawings, and the same numeral is given to thesame configuration as that in a conventional example or a previouslydescribed embodiment, and thus a detailed description thereof isomitted. The present invention is not limited by the embodiments below.

Embodiment 1

FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator according to Embodiment 1 ofthe present invention.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, a refrigerator 100 according to the presentembodiment includes side-by-side doors at the upper part, and storagecompartments obtained by partitioning the inside of a main body 101which separates the inside and outside of the refrigerator 100 in aheat-insulating state.

The storage compartments obtained by partitioning the inside of therefrigerator 100 may be referred to as a refrigerator compartment 102,an ice compartment 105, a switchable compartment 106 in which thetemperature can be switched, a vegetable compartment 103, a freezercompartment 104, and others, depending on the function (coolingtemperature).

A rotating heat-insulating door 107 in which, for example, a foamheat-insulating material such as urethane has foamed and fills isprovided at an open front face of the refrigerator compartment 102positioned at the uppermost part of the refrigerator 100. Therefrigerator compartment 102 is a storage space having shelves.

Furthermore, the ice compartment 105, the switchable compartment 106,the vegetable compartment 103, and the freezer compartment 104 which areprovided below the refrigerator compartment 102 are pull-out storagespaces.

The main body 101 is a body formed by filling a heat-insulating material111 such as hard foam urethane between an outer casing 112 made of metaland an inner casing 110 made of resin, and is a cuboidal body having atleast one open face. The main body 101 has a function of blocking heatentering from the outer atmosphere (outer air) to the inside of the mainbody 101.

The refrigerator compartment 102 is a storage compartment for storingitems under refrigeration in which a temperature is maintained to a lowtemperature at which the stored items are not frozen. Specifically, thelowest temperature is usually set to 1 to 5° C.

The vegetable compartment 103 is a storage compartment provided at thelowermost part of the main body 101, and is a storage compartment mainlyused for refrigerating vegetables. The vegetable compartment 103 is setto the same temperature as or a slightly higher temperature than that ofthe refrigerator compartment 102. Specifically, the lowest temperatureis 2 to 7° C. It should be noted that the lower the temperature is, thelonger the freshness of green leaves can be preserved.

The freezer compartment 104 is a storage compartment in which thetemperature is set to a freezing temperature zone. Specifically, thetemperature of the freezer compartment 104 is usually set to −22 to −18°C.; however, the temperature may be set to a lower temperature, forexample, −30 to −25° C., to improve the freezing storage state.

The ice compartment 105 is a storage compartment in which an ice maker(not illustrated) is provided to make ice, and is a compartment forstoring the ice made by the ice maker. The temperature of the icecompartment 105 is set to a temperature substantially equal to that ofthe freezer compartment 104.

The temperature of the switchable compartment 106 may be switched from arefrigeration temperature zone to the freezing temperature zonedepending on the usage, by using the operation board attached to therefrigerator 100.

Partitions 108 are each provided between temperature zones in the mainbody 101, for partition into a plurality of different temperature zones.

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the refrigerator accordingto Embodiment 1 of the present invention, and illustrates across-section taken along line A-A in FIG. 1.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, each pull-out storage compartment among thestorage compartments included in the refrigerator 100 is provided with apull-out door 201 which closes an open front face, and rail devices 202which connect the pull-out door 201 and the main body 101 in anextendable and shortenable manner, and allow a container 206 providedinside the storage compartment to move forward and backward.Furthermore, the refrigerator 100 includes door frames 205 and thecontainers 206.

Here, the door frame 205 corresponds to a reinforcing member.

The pull-out door 201 is a board-shaped member capable of opening andclosing the opening of the storage compartment, and has insulationproperty. The pull-out door 201 includes a gasket 207 at the peripheryon the back side. The gasket 207 is in close contact with the main body101 in the state where the pull-out door 201 closes the opening of thestorage compartment, and prevents the cold air from leaking.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the rail device of therefrigerator according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the rail device 202 has three rails arrangedin three layers, and can extend and shorten as a whole by having asecond rail (middle rail 221) movable with respect to a first rail(cabinet rail 222), and a third rail (top rail 203) movable with respectto the second rail (middle rail 221).

The top rail 203 and the middle rail 221 each correspond to a “movablerail” in the claims, and the cabinet rail 222 corresponds to a “fixedrail” in the claims.

The fixed rail and the movable rails are each supported by a rotationsupporting member (not illustrated), and the rail device 202 is fixed tothe wall of the inner casing 110 with the fixed rail and the movablerails previously put together.

A rail attachment portion 223 included in the cabinet rail 222 of therail device 202 is attached to the inner casing 110 of the main body101, and the top rail 203, the middle rail 221, and the cabinet rail 222of the rail device 202 are slidable with respect to one another.Consequently, the rail device 202 is extendable and shortenable as awhole. Accordingly, the pull-out doors 201 can be pulled out from orpushed back to the main body 101 along the extension and shorteningtrack of the rail devices 202.

Specifically, between upper and lower flanges of the middle rail 221,the cabinet rail 222 holds a portion having the lower flange in itscenter, via a plurality of bearings 145 (see FIGS. 10 and 11).

The cabinet rail 222 supports the middle rail 221 in three directionsvia the plurality of bearings 145 in the cross sections, thereby holdingand allowing the middle rail 221 to move in the lengthwise direction.

The top rail 203 holds a portion having the upper flange of the middlerail 221 in its center, via a plurality of bearings 145. The top rail203 also supports the middle rail 221 in three directions via theplurality of bearings 145 in the cross sections, thereby holding andallowing the middle rail 221 to move in the lengthwise direction.

The cabinet rail 222, the middle rail 221, and the top rail 203 are puttogether in this way, thereby allowing the middle rail 221 to move onthe cabinet rail 222 in its lengthwise direction.

Furthermore, the top rail 203 is movable on the middle rail 221 in itslengthwise direction. Specifically, the top rail 203 is movable on thecabinet rail 222 in its lengthwise direction via the middle rail 221.

The rotation of the plurality of bearings 145 allows the middle rail 221and the top rail 203 to move smoothly when the rails are moving in theabove described manner.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the state where the pull-outdoor and the rail devices are connected via the door frames of therefrigerator according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the pull-out door 201 includes an inner board211 which covers the front of the main body 101 and the door frames 205.The inner board 211 is one of the members composing the pull-out door201, and is a plate-shaped member formed by vacuum molding. The doorframes 205 directly fixed to the inner board 211 are each connected tothe top rail 203 using fastening members and the like. The pull-out door201 can be pulled out and pushed back, using the function of the raildevices 202.

The inner board 211 of the pull-out door 201 includes first fixing parts301 which fix the container 206 to the pull-out door 201, in order toreduce concentration of the stress on the base end portion of the toprails 223, the stress occurring when pushing and pulling the pull-outdoor 201, particularly by holding a top end portion of the pull-out door201. The first fixing parts 301 are each provided at a position at whicha front flange portion 206 a is fixed which has a substantially L-shapedcross section and is formed at an open top face of the container 206,when the container 206 is placed on the rail devices 202. Then, thefront flange portion 206 a is inserted, from above, into the firstfixing parts 301 formed so as to have a substantially L-shaped crosssection and be in an insert state, and fixed.

The first fixing parts 301 are each a metal member fixed, via the innerboard 211, to a planar metal plate (not illustrated) fixed in a foamheat-insulating material on the back side of the inner board 211 usingfastening members and the like. Then, the front flange portion 206 a isinserted into the first fixing parts 301 from above, and fixed. The doorframes 205 each include a bend portion 241 obtained by bending the endthereof along the inner board 211 of the pull-out door 201. The bentparts 241 are each fixed, via the inner board 211, to a planar metalplate (not illustrated) fixed in the foam heat-insulating material onthe back side of the inner board 211 using fastening members and thelike.

As described above, the front flange portion 206 a of the container 206is fixed using the first fixing parts 301 provided at the upper part ofthe inner board 211 of the pull-out door 201, thereby adding strength toinsufficient strength of attach portions of the pull-out door 201 andthe rail devices 202 attached to a lower part of the pull-out door 201.This allows smoothly opening and closing the pull-out door.

A second fixing portion 303 formed integrally with the inner board 211is a going-up prevention member which has a projecting form and abutsagainst a peripheral portion 304 forming the open top face of thecontainer 206, thereby preventing the front flange portion 206 a fromgoing upward.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the second fixing portion 303 is providedbetween the first fixing parts 301 provided on both the right and leftsides.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the removable container 206 is fit in fromabove the pull-out door 201, the front flange portion 206 a is insertedinto the first fixing parts 301 as described above, and the peripheralportion 304 forming the open top face of the container 206 abuts thesecond fixing portion 303 at the upper part. In other words, the firstfixing parts 301 support and fix the front part of the container 206from below, and the second fixing portion 303 supports and fixes thefront part of the container 206 from above, thereby fixing the frontpart of the container 206 to the inner board 211. Consequently, theinner board 211 supports and fixes the upper part of the container 206,and thus it is possible to add strength to insufficient strength at theattachment part of the pull-out door 201 and the rail devices 202attached to the lower part of the pull-out door 201, which allows thepull-out door 201 to smoothly open and close.

Furthermore, even when the pull-out door 201 is pulled out or pushedback by holding the pull-out door 201, the stress is not concentrated onthe attachment part of the top rails 223, but is dispersed to the partsconnected via the bend portions 241 and the door frames 205. Thus, it ispossible to increase the strength of attachment between the pull-outdoor 201 and the top rails 223 as a whole. This is particularlyeffective in the case of the present embodiment, in which the top rails223 are attached to the lower part of the pull-out door 201.

If the pull-out door 201 is opened and closed forward and backward withthe rail devices 202 provided below the center of the pull-out door 201in the vertical direction as with the position in the presentembodiment, using the door frames 205 having a minimum strengthnecessary when the rail devices 202 are attached near the center of thepull-out door 201 in the vertical direction, the door frames 205 or theinner board 211 may be deformed due to the insufficient strength on aside where the door frames 205 are fixed to the pull-out door 201. As aresult, the gasket 207 provided on the pull-out door 201 may be detachedfrom the main body 101, causing a gap, and this may lead to a defect ofthe quality of the refrigerator such as frost inside.

If the attachment part of the pull-out door 201 and the top rails 223 isat a lower part of the pull-out door 201, the moment on the attachmentpart is relatively large when the pull-out door 201 is pulled out orpushed back by holding the upper part of the pull-out door 201. However,in the present embodiment, the first fixing parts 301 or the secondfixing portion 303, or all the first fixing parts 301 and the secondfixing portion 303 are provided above the attachment part so as to fixthe container 206. Accordingly, the moment on the attachment part issmall, protecting the attachment part of the top rails 203 from beingbroken. More specifically, in the present embodiment, by providing thepull-out door 201 with the first fixing parts 301 and/or the secondfixing portion 303, it is possible to set a supporting point of thetension in an upper part.

Furthermore, as described above, the first fixing parts 301 and theinner board 211 are formed separately, and the second fixing portion 303is formed integrally with the inner board 211. For this reason, byforming the first fixing parts 301 which form a structure for fixing thefront flange portion 206 a of the container 206 using a metal componentseparate from the inner board 211, it is possible to maintain thecontainer 206 fixed along with the movement of the pull-out door 201,even if items are stored in the container 206. Furthermore, the numberof components is reduced by forming the second fixing portion 303integrally with the inner board 211.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating, from the back side, thestate where the container is provided between the rail devices of therefrigerator according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, the container 206 is a container for housing,for instance, vegetables, drinks filled in plastic bottles, and frozenfood, and is a casing made of resin having an open top face. Thecontainer 206 includes a narrow-width part 261 having a narrow width sothat raised portions 262 facing inward are formed at both end portionsat a lower part. The container 206 is supported by the top rails 223when the narrow-width part 261 is provided between the two top rails203, and the raised portions 262 are placed on the top faces of the doorframes 205.

The narrow-width part 261 which is the bottom of the container 206 isprovided above the rail devices 202, and is formed so as to be movableforward and backward.

As described above, the top rails 203 are provided at both corners atthe lower part of the pull-out door 201, which can increase the size ofthe narrow-width part 261 which has a narrow width in the container 206as much as possible. Accordingly, a shape which makes the storagecapacity as large as possible can be used for the container 206.

FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C are important part enlarged views illustrating thearrangement of the rail device and the container of the refrigeratoraccording to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

In the present embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 7A, the container 206includes the narrow-width part 261 having a narrow width such that theraised portion 262 facing inward is formed at each of two end portionsat the lower part toward the back of the container 206. However, asillustrated in FIGS. 7B and 7C, the side face of the container 206 maybe substantially flat, and without providing the container 206 with theraised portions 262, the rail devices 202 may be supported by the sideof the right and left edges of the bottom of the container 206 (see FIG.7B), or the rail devices 202 may be supported under the right and leftedges of the bottom of the container 206 (see FIG. 7C). It should benoted that FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C illustrate the positional relationshipbetween the rail device 202 and the container 206, and the door frame205 is omitted from the illustration.

In the case as shown in FIG. 7A, the raised portions 262 provided onboth sides of the container 206 include projections 206 b and 206 cformed integrally with the container 206 as shown in FIG. 4. The frontprojection 206 b is formed at the front side portion of the container206, and the back projection 206 c is formed at the back side portion ofthe container 206. These projections are inserted into fixing holes 205a and 205 b formed in the door frame.

The fixing holes 205 a may each have a cut-out shape. The frontprojection 206 b is inserted into the fixing hole 205 a and positioned,and the back projection 206 c is inserted into the fixing hole 205 bformed at the back part of the door frame 205.

As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 8, by shaping the back projection 206 c soas to incline downward toward the back of the door frame 205, it ispossible to prevent the back projection 206 c inserted into the fixinghole 205 b from easily coming out of the back fixed hole 205 b.

As described above in particular, the back projection 206 c and the doorframe 205 are fixed on the backside while the front flange portion 206 aof the container 206 is fixed to the pull-out door 201 on the frontside, thereby adding strength to insufficient strength of the attachmentpart of the pull-out door 201 and the rail devices 202 attached to thelower part of the pull-out door 201. This allows the pull-out door to besmoothly opened and closed.

Specifically, a moment on the attachment part is small, and thus it ispossible to protect the attachment part of the top rail 203 and theattachment part of the rail fixing part from being broken. Specifically,in the present embodiment, the front flange portion 206 a of thecontainer 206 is fixed to the pull-out door 201 provided with the firstfixing parts 301 and/or the second fixing portion 303, and furthermorethe back projection 206 c of the container 206 is inserted into thefixing hole 205 b provided in the door frame 205 and fixed, therebycausing the position of the supporting point of the tension to be behindthe pull-out door 201.

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 9, the rail attachment portions 223 formedintegrally with the cabinet rails 222 are provided such that the facesthereof are in contact with the side part of the inner casing 110, andfixed onto the side part of the inner casing 110 using fastening members400.

At this time, the inner casing 110 which is the attachment face ismainly formed with resin, and thus even if the rail attachment portions223 are directly fixed to the inner casing 110 using fastening members,the strength for bearing the load exerted on the rail devices 202 cannotbe secured. In view of this, as means to reliably fix the rail devices202, the rail attachment portions 223 of the rail devices 202 are eachattached, via the inner casing 110, to a rail holding member 270 buriedin the heat-insulating material 111.

The rail holding members 270 are formed mainly using metal material suchas iron. The rail holding members 270 are each fixed at a predeterminedposition on the inner face of the inner casing 110 previously, andthereafter foam heat-insulating material is filled between the innercasing 110 and the outer casing 112, thereby burying the rail holdingmembers 270 in the heat-insulating material 111. This improves theholding force of the rail holding members 270.

Specifically, in the case of the freezer compartment 104 formed in thesubstantially center position in the layout of the refrigerator 100, therail holding members 270 are provided above the partition 108 betweenthe freezer compartment 104 and the vegetable compartment 103 providedbelow the freezer compartment 104.

Portion A shows a perspective view in which the rail device 202 whichholds the container 206 of the freezer compartment 104 and the railholding member 270 are provided on the inner casing 110, and will bedescribed using FIG. 10 illustrating an important part cross-sectionalview of portion A. Portion B shows a perspective view in which the raildevice 202 whish holds the container 206 of the vegetable compartment103 and a rail holding member 280 are provided on the inner casing 110,and will be described using FIG. 11 illustrating an important partcross-sectional view of portion B.

As illustrated in FIG. 10, the rail holding member 270 has a railholding portion 270 a fixed to the rail attachment portion 223 of therail device 202 using the fastening members 400 and an integrally formedinward inclination prevention portion 270 b which prevents the raildevice 202 from inclining inward. The inward inclination preventionportion 270 b is a lateral flange portion formed integrally with a lowerpart of the rail holding portion 270 a which is provided in closecontact with the inner casing 110.

Specifically, the inward inclination prevention portion 270 b is formedso as to be separate from the inner casing 110 and bent, toward theouter casing 112, at the lower part of the rail holding portion 270 awhich is a vertical flange portion formed in close contact with theinner casing 110 in the heat-insulating material 111, and the inwardinclination prevention portion 270 b is formed so as to be further bentdownward. Then, the faces of the lateral flange portion of the inwardinclination prevention portion 270 b are in contact with the filledheat-insulating material 111, and furthermore, the lateral flangeportion is tightly fit in the heat-insulating material. Thus, the railholding portion 270 a is fixed by the inward inclination preventionportion 270 b, and the strength of the rail holding member 270 can besecured. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the rail attachmentportion 223 from inclining toward the inside of the freezer compartment,and furthermore, prevent the rail device 202 from inclining toward theinside of the compartment, thereby allowing the pull-out door 201 to beopened and closed smoothly.

The inward inclination prevention portion 270 b which is the lateralflange portion may be integrally formed so as to be bent at the lowerpart of the rail holding portion 270 a. Furthermore, the inwardinclination prevention portion 270 b may be formed at each of both theupper and lower parts. Consequently, the faces of the lateral flangeportions at the upper part and the lower part relative to the railholding portion 270 a are in contact with the heat-insulating material111, and furthermore, the lateral flange portions at the upper and lowerparts are tightly fit in the heat-insulating material. Thus, it ispossible to further secure the strength of the rail holding member 270,and prevent the rail attachment portion 223 from inclining toward theinside of the freezer compartment, and the rail device 202 frominclining toward the inside of the compartment.

In FIG. 10, the partition 108 which is a bottom face of the freezercompartment 104 has a bottom step portion 108 a formed on each of twosides, and the bottom step portions 108 a are formed toward the back soas to be higher than the center portion serving as the reference face ofthe partition 108 by one step.

The rail device 202 is provided on the bottom step portion 108 a. A sidegap portion 110 a is formed in the side wall portion of the inner casing110 to which the rail device 202 is fixed. The side gap portion 110 a isformed so as to be depressed toward the outer casing 112 and make thewall thickness thinner than that of the upper side wall portion of thefreezer compartment 104.

The rail attachment portion 223 is fixed to the metal rail holdingmember 270 using the fastening members 400, with the side gap portion110 a therebetween.

Thus, the rail devices 202 are placed on the bottom step portions 108 a,and fixed at the side gap portions 110 a using fastening members. Thiscan avoid the rail devices 202 protruding in the storage space, increasea total width size of the container 206 in the freezer compartment 104,and reduce unusable space.

The rail devices 202 are assembled, being placed on the bottom stepportions 108 a, which improves working efficiency. The thickness of thepartition 108 is large at the bottom step portions 108 a, which preventsdew condensation from occurring on the partition 108 which is a top faceof the vegetable compartment 103 provided below the freezer compartment104, due to the metal rail devices 202 in the freezer compartment 104being cooled.

Furthermore, since the bottom step portions 108 a are provided, the raildevices 202 will not be in contact with dew condensation water even ifdew condensation water is in the center portion which is the referenceface of the partition 108. Accordingly, the dew condensation water willnot freeze, and the rails of the rail devices 202 do not stick to oneanother. This allows the pull-out door 201 to be opened and closedsmoothly.

The door frames 205 are fixed onto the top face of the top rails 203 ofthe rail devices 202 using fastening members, and the raised portions262 of the container 206 are placed on the top face portions of the doorframes 205.

As illustrated in FIG. 11, the rail holding member 280 of the vegetablecompartment 103 formed at the lowermost part is provided in theheat-insulating material 111. A rail holding portion 280 a which is apart of the rail holding member 280 and formed by substantially L-shapedvertical and lateral flange portions is in close contact with the sideface portion and the bottom face portion of the inner casing 110. Aninward inclination prevention portion 280 b which is formed integrallywith the lateral flange portion which is a bottom face portion of therail holding portion 280 a, and formed as a lower flange portion formeddownward in a direction separating from the inner casing 110 is formedintegrally with the rail holding portion 280 a.

The lateral flange included in the rail holding member 280 of thevegetable compartment 103 formed at the lowermost part has a wider widththan that of the lateral flange included in the rail holding member 270of the freezer compartment 104 provided thereabove.

The inward inclination prevention portion 280 b is buried in theheat-insulating material 111 as the lower flange portion formeddownward, and thus even if a moment is applied to the rail attachmentportion 223 in the direction in which the rail device 202 inclinestoward the inside of the vegetable compartment, the inward inclinationprevention portion 280 b which is the lower flange portion is held bythe heat-insulating material 111 filled at that lower portion.Consequently, it is possible to prevent inclination, further secure thestrength of the rail holding member 280, and prevent the rail device 202of the vegetable compartment 103 from inclining toward the inside of thecompartment.

In FIG. 11, a bottom face 401 of the vegetable compartment 103 has abottom step portion 401 a formed on each of two sides, and the bottomstep portions 401 a are formed toward the back so as to be higher thanthe center portion serving as the reference face of the bottom face 401by one step.

The rail device 202 is provided on the bottom step portion 401 a. A sidegap portion 110 a is formed in the side wall portion of the inner casing110 to which the rail device 202 is fixed. The side gap portion 110 a isformed so as to be depressed toward the outer casing 112 and make thewall thickness thinner than that of the upper side wall portion of thevegetable compartment 103.

The rail attachment portion 223 is fixed to the metal rail holdingmember 280 on the side face using the fastening members 400, with theside gap portion 110 a therebetween.

Thus, the rail devices 202 are placed on the bottom step portions 401 a,and fixed at the side gap portions 110 a using fastening members. Thiscan prevent the rail devices 202 from protruding in the storage space,increase a total width size of the container 206 in the vegetablecompartment 103, and reduce unusable space.

The rail devices 202 are assembled, being placed on the bottom stepportions 401 a, which improves working efficiency. The thickness of thebottom face 401 is large at the bottom step portions 401 a, whichsecures insulation properties.

Furthermore, since the bottom step portions 401 a are provided, the raildevices 202 will not be in contact with dew condensation water even ifdew condensation water is in the center portion which is the referenceface of the bottom face 401. Accordingly, the dew condensation waterwill not freeze, and the rails of the rail devices 202 do not stick toone another. This allows the pull-out door 201 to be opened and closedsmoothly.

The pull-out door 201 of the lowermost vegetable compartment 103 isbelow the pull-out door 201 of the freezer compartment 104 at an upperposition, and is at a position at which a user easily puts on his or herweight when the user pulls out the pull-out door 201 of the lowermostvegetable compartment 103. Thus, there is a possibility that an externalload is also applied thereto in addition to the load due to storeditems. The rail holding members 280 are each obtained by integrallyforming the substantially L shaped rail holding portion 280 a and theinward inclination prevention portion 280 b which is the lower flangeportion, and thus can firmly hold the rail devices 202 of the lowermostpull-out door 201, thereby preventing an inclination of the rail devices202.

Furthermore, the lateral flanges included in the rail holding members280 of the vegetable compartment 103 have a wider width than that of thelateral flanges included in the rail holding members 270 of the freezercompartment 104 at an upper position, and thus can firmly hold the raildevices 202 of the lowermost pull-out door 201, thereby preventing aninclination of the rail devices 202.

The thickness of the side faces of both the freezer compartment 104 andthe vegetable compartment 103 is thin due to the side gap portions 110a, and thus a vacuum heat-insulating material (not shown) is attached tothe outer casing 112 in correspondence with portions in which the raildevices 202 are provided, or specifically, a vacuum heat-insulatingmaterial having a larger size in the upright direction than the lengthbetween the rail devices 202 of the freezer compartment 104 and thevegetable compartment 103 is attached to the outer casing 112, therebysecuring insulation properties.

As described above, the rail devices 202 are fixed to the rail holdingmembers 270 at the side walls using the fastening members 400, and therail devices 202 of the freezer compartment 104 are placed on thepartition 108, and fixed to the rail holding members 270 via the railattachment portions 223 using fastening members. In this case, thestress on the rail holding members 270 can be reduced, therebypreventing the rail devices 202 from inclining inward.

Similarly, the rail holding members 280 holding the rail devices 202 ofthe vegetable compartment 103 may be placed on corner portions of thebottom of the inner casing which forms a space in the vegetablecompartment, and fixed using fastening members, and it is possible toprevent the rail devices 202 from inclining inward since the stress onthe rail holding members 280 can be reduced.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the rail holding member 280. Aplurality of holes 290 are formed in the rail holding member 280, andthe filled heat-insulating material 111 comes into the holes 290, andadheres to the inner casing 110, thereby fixing the rail holding member280 to the inner casing 110 in a close contact manner.

The holes 290 are formed in the rail holding portion 280 a, and allowthe rail holding member to be firmly fixed using the heat-insulatingmaterial 111, and furthermore, to be firmly held on the inner casing. Itis possible to prevent the rail devices 202 from inclining inward, andto open and close the pull-out door smoothly. In addition, the railholding members 270 also include the holes 290 as with the abovedescription, and equivalent effects are achieved.

In the present embodiment, the refrigerator compartment 102 is providedat the upper part, the freezer compartment 104 is provided at asubstantially middle part, and the vegetable compartment 103 is providedat the lowermost part. However, the arrangement may be adopted in whichthe pull-out freezer compartment 104 is provided at the lowermost partwhile the pull-out vegetable compartment 103 is provided above thefreezer compartment 104, which allows equivalent effects to be achieved.

Embodiment 2

Next is a description of another embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which door framesand a pull-out door of a refrigerator in another embodiment areconnected, and the pull-out door and fixing parts for fixing a removablecontainer are connected.

As illustrated in FIG. 13, first fixing parts 301 that fix a container206 to a pull-out door 201 are fixed to an inner board 211 of thepull-out door 201 on the inner compartment side using, for instance,fastening members. Bend portions 241 of door frames 205 are fixed to theinner board 211 using, for instance, fastening members.

Portion C in FIG. 13 shows a perspective view in which the first fixingparts 301 and the bend portions 241 are attached to the inner board 211,and a description is given of FIG. 14 illustrating an important partcross-sectional view of portion C.

As illustrated in FIG. 14, a reinforcing plate 500 provided in theoutside of the compartment in which a heat-insulating material of theinner board 211 is provided is a planar metal plate which verticallyextends along the inner board 211 and formed as a single member. The tworeinforcing plates 500 which are independent in correspondence with theright and left door frames 205 connected to the inner board 211 of thepull-out door 201 are buried on the right and left sides of the pull-outdoor 201.

The first fixing part 301 that connects the container 206 to thepull-out door 201 is fixed to an upper part 500 a of the reinforcingplate 500, using, for instance, fastening members via the inner board211. The bend portion 241 bent along the inner board 211 of the doorframe 205 is attached to a lower part 500 b of the reinforcing plate 500via the inner board 211, using fastening members, for instance.

Since a bead 241 a is formed on the bend portion 241, the rigidity ofthe bend portion 241 can be increased, thereby securing the rigidity ofthe reinforcing plate 500 itself and preventing deformation thereof evenif a moment on the door frame 205 is large.

At the first fixing part 301 held at the upper part 500 a of thereinforcing plate, a front flange portion 206 a extending from the opentop face at the upper part of the container 206 to the front and formedso as to be bent downward is provided, and the front flange portion 206a is inserted from above to the first fixing part 301 and lockedtherein. Thus, the container 206 is fixed to the pull-out door 201. Thedoor frame 205 connected to the lower part 500 b of the reinforcingplate is fixed to a top rail 203 of a rail device 202 using, forinstance, fastening members, as illustrated in FIG. 2.

A reinforcing plate flange portion 500 c inclined from the base of ahorizontal plane part toward the front face of the pull-out door isformed at the upper part 500 a, and a plurality of holes 500 d areformed in the reinforcing plate flange portion 500 c. The lower part 500b also has the same configuration as that of the upper part 500 a.

As illustrated in FIG. 15, a tip portion 301 a of the first fixing part301 inclines toward the container 206 so as to form a large top opening,which allows the front flange portion 206 a to be easily inserted fromabove to the tip portion 301 a, and fixed and locked by the first fixingpart 301.

Specifically, the first fixing part 301 fixes the door frame 205 to thelower part of the pull-out door 201, and also locks the front flangeportion 206 a of the container 206 placed on the door frame 205. Thecontainer 206 can be supported at the upper and lower positions byfixing using the first fixing part 301. When the container 206 is pulledfrontward by holding handhold portions 103 a and 104 a of the pull-outdoor 201, the handhold portions 103 a and 104 a are at the upper part ofthe pull-out door 201, and thus a force exerted on the door frames 205located at the lower part increases. However, the front flange portions206 a of the container 206 are locked by the first fixing parts 301, andthus a force exerted on the frames 205 can be distributed. Thus, it ispossible to avoid a gap being formed between a gasket sealing part andthe main body opening when the pull-out door 201 is closed, which avoidsthe leakage of cool air from the compartment.

Since the reinforcing plate 500 is obtained by integrally forming theupper part 500 a and the lower part 500 b, the curve of the pull-outdoor 201 due to pull-out operations and heat generated while the door isclosed can be reduced, thereby avoiding a gap being formed.

The reinforcing plates 500 are buried in the heat-insulating materialwhich fills the inside of the pull-out door 201, and thus the incliningflange portions are formed on the right and left. Furthermore, theheat-insulating material passes through the holes, and also reaches andfills a space between the inner board 211 and the reinforcing plates500. Accordingly, it is possible to firmly maintain fixation in theheat-insulating material, avoids voids being generated, and secure theinsulation properties of the pull-out door 201.

Accordingly, functions of the rail devices 202 allow the pull-out door201 to be pulled out from and pushed back to a main body 101, togetherwith the reinforcing plates 500 and the container 206 to which thereinforcing plates 500 are connected.

In this way, the reinforcing plates 500 fixed in the foam heatinsulation on the back side of the inner board 211 allow the firstfixing parts 301 and the door frames 205 to be firmly attached to thepull-out door 201, and thus prevent the shift to the right and left.Consequently, it is possible to avoid a gap being formed at the sealingpart due to a tilt of the door, and secure a cooling function.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

As described above, the refrigerator according to the present inventioncan secure a large actual storage space. Therefore, the refrigerator maybe used as a refrigerator having a pull-out storage compartment, andfurthermore, its use may even be expanded for a prefabricated kitchenhaving a drawer.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

-   100 Refrigerator-   101 Main body-   102 Refrigerator compartment-   103 Vegetable compartment (storage compartment)-   104 Freezer compartment (storage compartment)-   105 Ice compartment-   106 Switchable compartment-   107 Heat-insulating door-   108 Partition-   108 a, 401 a Bottom step portion-   110 Inner casing-   110 a Side gap portion-   111 Heat-insulating material-   112 Outer casing-   201 Pull-out door-   202 Rail device-   203 Top Rail (movable rail)-   205 Door frame-   205 a, 205 b Fixing hole-   206 Container-   206 a Front flange portion-   206 b Front projection-   206 c Back projection-   207 Gasket-   211 Inner Board-   221 Middle Rail (movable rail)-   222 Cabinet Rail (fixed rail)-   223 Rail attachment portion-   262 Raised portion-   270, 280 Rail holding member-   270 a, 280 a Rail holding portion-   270 b, 280 b Inward inclination prevention portion-   290 Hole-   301 First fixing part-   303 Second fixing portion-   304 Peripheral portion-   400 Fastening member-   401 Bottom face-   500 Reinforcing plate-   500 c Reinforcing plate flange portion

1. A refrigerator which includes: a main body including an inner casing,an outer casing, and a heat-insulating material filled between the innercasing and the outer casing; a storage compartment of a pull-out typeformed inside the main body and having an open front face; a pull-outdoor which opens and closes the open front face of the storagecompartment; a partition which makes a separation for the storagecompartment of the main body; and a rail device which has a fixed railand a movable rail, is fixed to an inner wall of the inner casing withthe fixed rail and the movable rail previously put together, connectsthe pull-out door and the main body such that a distance between thepull-out door and the main body is extendable and shortenable, andallows a container provided inside the storage compartment to moveforward and backward, the refrigerator comprising the rail deviceprovided on a step portion formed on each of two sides of a bottom ofthe storage compartment.
 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1,wherein the rail device is fixed to a rail holding member having, at alower part, an integrally formed inward inclination prevention portionwhich prevents the rail device from inclining inward.
 3. Therefrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the rail device is disposedat a gap portion provided in a side wall of the inner casing.
 4. Therefrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the bottom of the storagecompartment is a bottom face of the inner casing.
 5. The refrigeratoraccording to claim 1, wherein the bottom of the storage compartment is atop face of the partition.
 6. The refrigerator according to claim 2,wherein a plurality of the pull-out doors are vertically arranged on therefrigerator, and an upper rail holding member and a lowermost railholding member have different cross sectional shapes, the upper railholding member being the rail holding member which holds the rail devicewhich allows the pull-out door arranged at an upper position to bepulled forward and pushed backward, and the lowermost rail holdingmember being the rail holding member which holds the rail device whichallows the pull-out door arranged at a lowermost position to be pulledforward and pushed backward.
 7. The refrigerator according to claim 6,wherein the lowermost position rail holding member is a substantiallyL-shaped member formed along a side wall and a bottom face of the innercasing.
 8. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the railholding member has a hole formed therein through which the filledheat-insulating material passes.
 9. The refrigerator according to claim1 which further includes: a door frame fixed to the pull-out door andconnected to the rail device to hold the container; and a reinforcingplate which fixes the door frame to the pull-out door, the refrigeratorcomprising: the reinforcing plate vertically extending along thepull-out door and formed as a single member; the door frame fixed to alower part of the reinforcing plate; and the container engaged at anupper part of the reinforcing plate.
 10. The refrigerator according toclaim 9, wherein the pull-out door includes: an inner door board; anouter door board; and a heat-insulating material that fills, by foaming,a space between the inner door board and the outer door board, and thereinforcing plate is provided in contact with the inner door board inthe space.
 11. The refrigerator according to claim 10, wherein thereinforcing plate includes a reinforcing plate flange portion extendingtoward the outer door board.
 12. The refrigerator according to claim 11,wherein the reinforcing plate flange portion includes a hole throughwhich the heat-insulating material passes.
 13. The refrigeratoraccording to claim 9, comprising a bead at a position corresponding to apart of the reinforcing plate to which the door frame is attached.